During one of my visits at my counterpart’s house I found him with his pastor making a certain traditional drink. At first I thought that they were making some tea since the drink had tea leaves and milk. Little did I know that this was not tea but a special drink. I was rushing to the market, but I changed my plan and decided to go to the market later. I wanted to quench my curiosity by asking them some questions about the special drink. My counterpart and his pastor were very happy and excited to answer all of my questions. ​Maybe someone might be asking why enthusiasts consider Tchombe to be a special drink. According to the Zion Church this drink is considered as medicine for several diseases or infections. Those living with HIV/AIDS can even take it in order to help boost their immune system. This drink also helps to reduce body pains and brings good luck to those who want to success in their lives. According to the pastor of Zion Church, people pray for the person before he or she is given this drink. He also said something concerning a certain person who was demoted from his senior position at work. This person came to my community; they prayed and gave himthe Tchombe drink, and two days later, he got promoted at his workplace.

But what is Tchombe drink made from? What are the ingredients required when they want to make this drink? This special drink is made from milk, water, Tchombe tea leaves, and anointed oil. Tea leaves are boiled with water and milk for some minutes and anointed oil is also added to the mixture. After 30 minutes the drink is then filtered and ready to drink.

If you want to know what Tchombe drink tastes like and other stories related to this drink, do not hesitate come to Wimbe Community in Kasungu District in the central region of Malawi.

The Oxford dictionary defines a hero as someone who is admired for their courage and outstanding achievements. Let me introduce to you one of the heroes of Mkwachi; my host mother, who is spearheading the introduction and establishment of Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups in Mkwachi.

She was first introduced to the VSL concept in the year 2010 when her husband was teaching at one of the secondary schools in Nkhatabay district. Having seen the benefits of VSLs, when she came home to Mkwachi she mobilized and trained 20 community members to start a VSL group. Most of these members were doing small-scale businesses but struggling to get loans from micro-financing institutions to boost their businesses because they could not afford to produce the required collaterals. At the end of the first year, the group managed to save a total of MK 2,400,000 (about US$3,240.00), which encouraged other community members to join.

As of today, she has established a total of 9 VSL groups on a voluntary basis in three Group Village Heads. She was also at one time engaged for two weeks by the Member of Parliament to train fellow women who had started VSL groups in Mzimba district. She boasts having contributed to poverty alleviation in the community, as the knowledge she shared has benefited almost every household in Mkwachi. People now have easy access to loans and have developed an attitude of saving money, enabling them to do projects that were otherwise impossible. My host mother strongly believes that one ought to be self-reliant rather than just waiting for outside support.

One outstanding example is of a carpenter whose business was going down because of lack of capital and financial management skills. Most of his proceeds were being used for beer drinking. After joining VSL, he is now a such successful carpenter that he built his own modern house with modern household assets like television. He now supplies furniture to the community, including my host mother’s display cabinet.

“A few years down the line, last year our group managed to save MK 6,000,000 by the end of the year. There are numerous benefits and one cannot afford not to be a member”, she argued. She says that personally, she is so much more economically empowered that she has helped her husband do some major projects, including constructing a modern house and paying school fees for their children. Currently, one of their children is at Natural Resources College. She also added that CorpsAfrica Volunteers are of great importance as they are bridging the business management knowledge gap that existed among the VSL members.​She envisions a future where community members will be collaborating to conduct one business, as a way out to poverty, arguing that most Malawian companies are built on collaboration.

Culture is something that defines a group of people. It covers religion, food, language, clothes which people wear and how they wear them, music and dances, marriages, funerals and worship. Each group of people is known by its culture. Here in Malawi we have Tumbuka, Chewa, Yao, Ngoni and many other ethnic groups whose cultures differ from one another.

Meet Chewa people in Dedza, Malawi. People here are more welcoming and loving. I could say Malawi is called “the warm heart of Africa” because of these people’s hospitality. Chichewa is the language which they speak, and they are well known by their traditional dance called Gulewamkulu. This dance is well known in most parts of Southern Africa, as you can find Chewa people in Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi. The traditional dances for the Chewa are mostly performed during events like the appointment of chiefs, initiation, healing, funerals and village festive ceremonies.

Gulewamkulu is believed to be a traditional religion whereby the dancers are believed to be communicating with ancestral spirits. The dancers wear masks which resemble faces of animals while others are humanoid. Gulewamkulu has a lot of characters which tell different stories and give different messages to the audience.

Meet Chilembwe, an antelope character which displays jokey physical moves like shaking its body while laying down like a tired antelope. Mostly when this character of Gulewamkulu is dancing people lough a lot because of its funny dancing moves.

Kasiya maliro (funeral escort) is another character of Gulewamkulu. It has a tiny antelope like a head and a tail on top of its body. The character shows up during funerals and mostly performs at night. Other characters are Chazunda, Maliya, Njinga and Makanja just to mention a few.​Characters like Njovu (an elephant) don’t easily show up in ceremonies. Mostly this character shows up when a Chewa chief dies and it is accompanied by other Gulewamkulu characters such as Kasiya Maliro, Gandali, NyaniMakanja and Njinga (local names). Gulewamkulu is highly respected by the Chewa people. It is associated with secret rituals and only those who have gone through the cultural initiation ceremonies are allowed to become the Gulewamkulu dancers.

There is a Malawian proverb that says, “ukaipa dziwa nyimbo.” This means, when you are bad at something, know your song. This song is not one of the ordinary songs we sing, in the form of music; there is talent within it. So in short this proverb means when you are bad at something just know your talent. There is a woman in Mangochi, in my site if I am to be precise. She has a good shop, dresses nicely, and looks gorgeous. She has a lot of leadership positions in the community as well.

The time I got a chance to talk to her, she told me she is not educated and she successfully runs a hair dressing salon. I am always humbled with how she carries herself and the positions she holds. I was quite surprised! She also said, she never got a chance to go to school but she knows how to read and write. Do you know how she got those wonderful literacy credentials? Well, she was actually home schooled by one of the teachers who works at a nearby primary school. Back to the hair dressing issue, she learnt it just through observing others when doing it.

My host father is currently renovating his house. He called one of the village carpenters to help with the windows. The carpenter did a great job and people were asking my host father who did the work. That’s when my host father told me that the guy learnt carpentry by observing his elder brother who is a talented and experienced carpenter.​So far I have noticed that a lot of people in my community who are builders, carpenters, hairdressers and others. They did not learn their skills from any recognized institution. Instead, they taught themselves through observing or just trying. Most of us feel that we don’t have talents; but have we ever tried to learn something new? Know your own song. If you think you are failing try harder. One way or the other, eventually you will make it. Remember that no one is a failure!

From the treasures of lifeI borrowed a few daysTo live a life my waySome I spent in weaving wishesThe rest in anticipationI squandered away

I have lived the untried lifeWalked in the glories of the folliesTook the chance by the palm of my handBut crashed! In pieces it lay on the floor

I have drunk from the cup of wisdomOnly to become more ignorantClung to feed on what gnaws away my prideI have ventured to fly free like a birdBut grew my roots into the ground

If only wishes were horses, I would rideTo free to a far free fortWhere no one lives for one aloneA utopian worldWhere albinism is not fatalBut creation of nature to be embraced

If only wishes were horses, I would rideTo take me where there is nowhere to run or hideFor crime finds no homeCorruption is out of the normWithout a king but still a safe domeFor all to dwell and call it home

If only wishes were horses, I would ride themFrom my dreams to realityLike beggars on the streetWishing for nothing but food in their stomachFood not for the stomach but the mindTo ponder fast forward and rewindAnd bring all these atrocities to a demise

An umbrella is a cloth-covered frame used for protection against rain or sun according to the dictionary. Most people think the protection an umbrella offers is not worthy to be recognized as it does not protect one fully against the rain or sun. This is the same way people perceive volunteerism. When people in the community see the person claiming to be a volunteer, they do not take that person seriously. According to them they think the person is not well-qualified to help them realize their potential. As a CorpsAfrica Volunteer, I hereby present to you two facts as to why both an umbrella and volunteerism are very important in the lives of people.

To begin with, an umbrella acts as a sun or rain protector; the umbrella protects people from the sun by shielding their fragile skin from powerful rays and avoiding the heartbreak brought by the sunburn. Similarly, a CorpsAfrica Volunteer acts as a cycle breaker of extreme poverty in rural communities, by bringing innovative developments that have bigger impact on the communities.

Umbrellas are also used for decoration. At events such as wedding, graduation and other office-related events, decoration is the order of the day and this is done according to personal preferences. Similarly, a CorpsAfrica volunteer acts as a role model (decoration) in the community by inspiring the youth and community at large.​In conclusion, an umbrella usually symbolizes the canopy of the heavens, shelter and protection. It is often an emblem of power and dignity in many religions. Therefore, as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer, I am an umbrella to this remote, high poverty community; I manifest and facilitate change for sustainable development.

Written by CorpsAfrica/ Malawi Volunteer Ms. Funny Maseya​I am so excited to explore this new part of Malawi. Of course, I have heard about Mzimba but had never stayed here before. So, I have embraced this as my chance to discover new things while I work as a volunteer. “Cheer up girl, this is your new-found opportunity to meet your prince charming here,” I even joked to myself and smiled within me. It’s now been a month since I left the capital city to live in Mzimba. Now I am used to hearing birds singing in marvelous sounds and trees chorusing along. It’s almost like background music for this place.

I was sitting down on my Kabwacha (small chair). The sun felt so good parading its rays on my face and the air around the place was so soothing and fresh.

“Mwauka uli Ngoma?” That’s the good morning greeting in Tumbuka. I was startled to suddenly notice Adeze standing beside her local baking stove (wuvuni), smiling at me.

“Good morning, thank you”. I waved back as I responded in the same language. (Ngoma is the name that people call me in this area).

Adeze (not her real name) is one of the young ladies in the community. She is the first person that made my settling in so easy here in Mzimba. She runs a local bakery and has been in this business since she got divorced from her marriage. She decided to change things for herself instead of staying idle. She learned how to make bread using a local stove. This was the launch of a whole new venture that would change her circumstances for the better.

Adeze entered her house to collect the remaining bread. It was now 3 pm in the afternoon, and this was her last piece to make. She had been baking since morning.

“Do you like baking this much Adeze?” I asked. “Yes Fannie, you know how people love bread in this area, and they have been buying since morning, so I couldn’t help it but bake more for tomorrow,” she explained.

“This bread is so delicious, you know? It tastes like the one people make and sells in bigger shops, how do you do it Adeze? What’s your secret recipe?” She looked at me and smiled, “Funny, there is nothing special there; it’s just the mixture of flour, salt, and yeast. I guess that’s the energy I put to it huh?” she joked about it, and we both laughed.

I like Adeze because she is a very hard-working lady and she is very unlike the other girls in the area. If you didn’t know more about Adeze, you would think she was one of the teachers in the community. She has a personal discipline about her hygiene and dressing which defy her status in the community.

“For how long you have been in this business?” I asked her one morning.

“It has not been that long; about four months now” she responded, gazing upwards as if trying to count birds in the sky. “Yes! Four months it is!” She finally assured herself.

“Nice, it looks like you have been making a lot of profits from this business, Right?”

“Of course, it does fetch me some good figures. For instance, when I use 25kgs of flour, I make a double profit on it and so, yea I can’t complain my dear. Things are far much better for me. My business sells most during school days because students and teachers love buying my bread.” She explained.

“I can see that you are really happy my friend.”

“Honestly, I never thought I would be this happy, considering my disappointment after the divorce. The only regret I have now is that I had to quit school at so early an age and if wishes were indeed horses I might ride one that would take me straight to the next class room in the village so that I could re-live my career dreams. But that is for another day my friend.” Adeze said with a grin and a shrug.

I could tell she really meant those moving words. Adeze was a little bit sad as she was telling me this, but she tried hard to hide her emotions. She finished packing her bread, and went inside the house to grab her wrapper. She took the packed bread and put it on her head ready to make deliveries.

She smiled at me and said, “Let’s go make money….” We both chuckled and happily parted ways as she went about her passion.

That is just a part of Adeze’s life story, and I must admit that it left me both inspired and musing at how such a young lady, who has gone through such a difficult life at a young age, can be successful against all odds. Her own is just one of the many stories in the community that stand out as clear testimonies of how one could change from being a nobody to a somebody in this life through self-inspiration. To women out there the ball is in our court; let us use it wisely to score.

​ “The youth are the leaders of tomorrow” is a statement I have been consistently reminded of since my childhood. A lot of people have argued the fallacy of this statement however, and rather have opted for, the youth are the leaders of today. This is perhaps so because young people have proven to have the capability to come up with innovative ideas that have led them to top leadership positions. Think of Mark Zuckerberg for example. He became founder and CEO at the age of 20. Similarly, a lot of young leaders have emerged and brought forth significant changes in people’s lives. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether it’s “leaders of tomorrow” or “leaders of today.” Having the desire to make a difference from yesterday is what’s important.

The same line of thought is what got me to engage myself more with the young people in my community. Through interactions, I noticed that some of the youth are school dropouts, engage themselves in risky behaviors, and have a corrupt mindset. This is what provoked me to create a club, with help from Volunteer Chisomo, that provides an opportunity for the youth to learn and influence each other positively. Here are a few things we do:

Firstly, we do career guidance and goal setting sessions. As a young person, I realized that we usually learn and get advice more from people of our own age than from parents. The club gives an opportunity to seek guidance on what steps one can take to achieve a specific goal. We also encourage each other to set and achieve challenging yet realistic goals.

We also focus on good health and physical activities. We make it a point to constantly remind ourselves on ways to prevent HIV and other diseases. The club is a place where we keep ourselves busy while refraining from risky behaviors. In addition, we are involved in sporting activities to keep our bodies strong.

Furthermore, we discuss how to deal with difficult situations. We all know that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Moments that are stressful are inevitable, and it is wise to have knowledge on how to cope with stress. The club is a place where one can reach for advice from fellows when faced in a difficult situation.

Basically, the youth club is a platform for the youth to be guided with a set of values to follow. They develop skills and techniques that build up character and shape their decisions. The good decisions cultivate creativity and innovation through which they will be able to do something that will make a difference between today and tomorrow. I am optimistic for my youth club. Who knows? I might have the future Malawi president in there!

After disturbing my comfort zone and causing pain, this is what it got

Written by CorpsAfrica/ Malawi Volunteer Ms. Chisomo Kamlopa

I was comfortably sitting on my bed when I suddenly felt a sharp painful bite on my elbow. My comfort had been disturbed. As I quickly turned to see what decided to torture me with such pain, automatically my hand grabbed the book I was reading and used it to kill the glittering green-winged insect that had its antennas ready to have a second bite. I passionately killed it with so much anger.

If my skin didn’t feel so much pain, if my comfort zone was never disturbed, I would have never known that I had the ability to scratch such a small insect with so much anger-driven passion. Seeing the insect lying dead on the floor, I thought to myself "pain can either cause you to do the worst or the best." I am sure somebody might be asking "but what best could have been done here?" Well, maybe just pushing it outside.? I am not really sure if that would be the best reaction but one thing I know is that if there was a worst reaction in this scenario, then a best reaction was possible as well. The opposite of worst is best.

If there is worst in a certain situation, possibilities of best existing are too high. And that brings me back to my thinking that pain can either cause you to do the worst or the best.

This thought led me into thinking how the pain of seeing rural communities face various challenges led me into the best decision of offering myself to serve my country through facilitating change in these rural communities.

Pain causes discomfort and when that happens, people usually look for means of eliminating that pain. In most cases the best way to do so, is through dealing with the cause of that pain. If you get to talk to people that have made a difference in this world, they will tell their story that they were hurt with how things were and they felt the need to collaborate and find solution. So the maths is simple; Pain + Discomfort = Eliminating the cause of pain, creating comfort.

What is it that is happening in the world today that causes so much pain in you? What action have you taken to deal with what causes that pain? Has the power of the pain helped you to give out your best?

The world needs people that realise that it is not just about complaining about how bad things are or how pathetic you feel when you watch news of how children are dying of hunger. The world today needs people that realise the power of pain. People that realise that pain must be a driving force into giving out the best of their ability to bring change and solutions.​Pain that comes with seeing how our communities are struggling should bring you into the realisation of the ability you have to contribute to the elimination of those challenges. Allow that pain to bring out the best out of you.Pain can either cause you to do the worst or the best. What goals has pain ignited in you?

Every day I wake up to the voice of my beautiful host niece calling me to hug her. Oh her name is Isabel, named after the previous Group 1 CorpsAfrica Volunteer!

These kids have to wait for the water to go so they can cross and go to school

Two months down the line I look back and realise the new me. If you knew me three months ago you don't know me now. That's what being a CorpsAfrica Volunteer is all about. Personal development while meeting the needs of the community are at the core. Being proactive and learning to work independently. Enough of that.

Networking: I never knew I would have a family away from home. One will be like really? How is that possible? I only got to understand this when I became a CorpsAfrica Volunteer. Not only that, I got connected to different partner organizations; I got to understand how they operate much better. When I say this is one way to develop my career, it is not a lie but plain truth.

What about community impact? One moves forward while leaving footprints behind. "Life is worth living for others." One leaves a mark not only on the community as a whole but also on individuals. This reminds me of the young girls I am mentoring from a nearby community day secondary school. I live in a youthful community full of vibrant boys and girls. This would make one think and believe a lot is going on in this community education-wise.​However, that is not the case; youth in my community have little value in education. School dropout is so rampant despite several interventions from different organizations working tooth-and-nail to keep youth in school. Now, when I see most of the girls I need to understand what actually happened. Coming to their community as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer, I am amazed and humbled. This helps me understand why one needs to begin with the end in mind, as this enables one to achieve great things in life. These girls need to be mentored in such a way that they see themselves as capable of achieving their dreams no matter how big they seem to be. They need to begin their journey to success with the end in mind. When you become a Corps Africa Volunteer, you live to inspire and impact your community.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Chifundo Soko​I don't really know what to write to you, I must admit because I have a lot! But I want to tell you something funny from last month. Which one should I tell you? Hmm (thinking). Aha! I have got one. I will tell you about my new bike.

My site is quite fascinating, I must say. Institutions are dispersed and in different directions. You have to go that direction to find the market and have to take the other to find the hospital. To make travelling easy, a lot of the people have bikes. I think almost every household owns a bike. So analysing the situation, I was like, "I got to get myself one. Otherwise I will spend my day just walking." So I requested for one from my office. In 3 weeks’ time it was delivered to me. And yeey!!! I was excited.

So here was the problem: the last time I rode a bike was in 2006. Actually, it was also the time I was learning to ride one. I wasn't that much of an expert at it then. So here is my mode of transportation to make my movements easy but alas! I don't really know how to ride it. So I took the bike at dusk for testing. Why? It's because I wanted to have a feel of it and if I fall, there wouldn't be a witness because of the dark. Haha! Did I fall? No, I didn't. Actually I am very good at it, I would even give you a ride! Just kidding, I cannot carry a passenger just yet.

Riding it helps me clear my mind at times. The fresh breeze hitting my face in the evenings makes me feel like I am an eagle soaring. It energizes me to face tomorrow with a different eye. So you know that feeling when you have something new? I won't say it. Ah, you are making me say it. It’s like you just want to tell everyone, "watch me.” Haha.

So while that excitement of owning a bike hasn't worn off, I had a chat with this woman. She was like, "aren't these bikes for people with HIV and AIDS?" In my mind I am like, "say what?" My Counterpart responded to her, "No, it's not like that. Everyone can buy these Buffalo bikes. It was just that there is another NGO that had decided to buy these kind of bikes for people who are HIV positive.” So I jumped in and asked, "So you mean everyone thinks I am HIV positive because I am riding this bike?" She answered, "Yes."

So how do I feel knowing that almost everyone thinks I am HIV positive? It was an opportunity to reflect on this social stigma. Being HIV positive does not mean that one is less deserving of respect. It’s sad to know that people still think that way. They should not be identified with certain things or have everyone pointing fingers at them. They also have the same rights to live without fear of judgment. To be accepted, which globally we all desire.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Blessings Ngwira​One day after having a long day with community meetings and some other activities with the youth, I was very much exhausted. I stopped by the secondary that is on my way home and I was chatting with one of my friends in the community. He was actually the first person I met when I arrived at my site a little over a month and some weeks ago. How time flies when you are doing something that worthy for a community at large. We stopped by the side of the road and started talking about life in general, politics of the villages, politics in the country, and so on.

As we were talking I noticed a group of kids running and jumping in the sand. From afar, it looked a sport I recognized. I was intrigued and went to where these kids were to see what exactly they were doing. The sport that I thought I recognized was Triple Jump but to my surprise it was not. It looked the same. This is when I remembered that when I was kid just about their age I also used to play this game; it is called Champion. It is sort of like Triple Jump, but the rules are different. The kids had three sticks on the ground and they used this as their way of measuring.

​It was kind of difficult at first to get the kids attention for me to get to know how they knew this game. But obviously they were in a competition to find the Champion as the name of the game clearly states. And I could tell that at this moment they were happy and enjoying their time. These kids showed me that it is not important where you are for you to be happy. It is what you do with those close and around you.

Warm greetings from the southern part of Mzimba District, in a small beautiful community dominated by the Ngoni people. I believe most of you have thought about money just when you saw the topic, and I just can’t blame you because we all know that there are monetary activities involved when we talk about the word fund. Just as it is half past farming season, a lot of people are busy with farming activities as it is written in the Bible that “you shall reap what you sow.” However, I have discovered an interesting thing this season that I want to share with you.

Let me start by telling you how fund is defined in my community. It's actually activities or piece works that a particular group of people organize to raise money for a particular purpose. Now does it make sense? I hope it does. There are different fund groups such as football teams, churches, school funds, etc. These types of groups look for farming piece works to help them raise funds for a certain activity or project. For example, the football team I play on has been doing fund activities and raised money to buy football club resources (a ball and jerseys). Not only has my team done that, but also my church choir had a fund last December where they planted maize in one of the village member’s field; and now the choir has just bought uniforms. The school fund group that consists of parents has also managed to raised money through the fund activities and maintained a classroom roof.

Some members are even in more than one fund group, but they still manage to attend all the group’s piece works; to me that shows the spirit of commitment. During this farming season when many people are sowing their seeds, it's actually a reaping season for these fund groups to raise money to purchase necessary tools or equipment.

I have realised that this is not just about raising funds; it is more about teamwork for community development. Basically, I am enjoying my voluntary experience in this community, and I'm looking forward to sharing with you more interesting things about my site.

The school fund group and myself (in black cap) constructing a livestock shed (khola).

My journey of self-discovery, crooked and bumpy, with the light at the end of the tunnel.

Before I embarked on this volunteering journey, I had a pretty good idea of who I was. However, in the short time that I have been serving, I find myself discovering new things about me on a daily basis so to say. New characteristics, talents and traits I did not think I had.

Often we think we know ourselves; but wait till you find yourself out of your comfort zones, then you truly begin to understand who you are as a person. You tend to sit down and question your lifestyle and choices, your core values and beliefs. Even your professional and spiritual life is in the spotlight.

Feeling stressed, angry or lonely? I find that those are the times you get into your shell and do a little self-discovery. You learn what ticks you off and how best to deal with it. You learn whom you call your support system and whom not to call. You get to understand the true value of companionship and friendship. The interaction of people and the different connections and relations we make are the seedling to the life ahead of us. If we do not engage in and with people and our surroundings, good or bad, we make very little progress and remain, as they say, passive victims of life's circumstances. We need to go out there, out of our comfort zones to learn who we truly are.

So far, the two aspects that continuously stand out in my journey of self-discovery are perception and expression. My perception of living my best life allows me to experience life directly, objectively and fully, making the best of every situation in which I find myself. Secondly, my conscious expression of how I look at things and how I deal with them has allowed me to be in gradual control of my beliefs, emotions and behaviours.​Hence once you have found yourself out of your comfort zone then you begin to understand who you truly are as a person, and that is when you also begin to understand what wisdom is.